[meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:09:18 -0600
Message-ID: <130C5141C47940749FA4E6EAAFD49D76_at_ATARIENGINE2>

Hi, James,

It tells me that they knew LaPaz because "[In 1942,]
LaPaz took leave from Ohio State to the New Mexico
Proving Ground during World War II where he was a
Research Mathematician, and later as Technical Director,
Operations Analysis Section, Second Air Force. This is
where he became interested in ballistics as well as
meteorites. His work with the Second Air Force included
investigation of Japanese Fugo balloon bombs that had
reached the United States."

He was a past technical advisor with a history of military
and government employment, a known quantity (who
already had security clearances), and who knew all the
other scientists and technologists who would be involved
in studying the "green fireballs." He was a logical choice,
from the standpoint of the government.

Nininger was an unknown quantity to them, not associated
with any institution, and a less well-known figure by far,
even if he was a much better scientist and researcher.


Sterling K. Webb
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Balister" <balisterjames at att.net>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:51 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"


Remember this, When the government need advice they called on LaPaz, not
Nininger! What does that tell you?



----- Original Message ----
> From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
> To: al mitt <almitt at kconline.com>; Shawn Alan <photophlow at yahoo.com>;
> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Sent: Sat, February 27, 2010 1:48:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
>
> Al, List,

History always decides these rivalries. There will
never be
> a posting on this (or any other) List with
the subject "Who is Harvey
> Nininger"!


Sterling K.
> Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
> Original Message ----- From: "al mitt" <>
> ymailto="mailto:almitt at kconline.com"
> href="mailto:almitt at kconline.com">almitt at kconline.com>
To: "Shawn
> Alan" <> href="mailto:photophlow at yahoo.com">photophlow at yahoo.com>; <>
> ymailto="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com"
> href="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent:
> Saturday, February 27, 2010 8:57 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr.
> LaPaz"


> Hi Shawn and all,
>
> I am sure that some
> people will disagree with my assessment of LaPaz, but he
> organized the
> collection at the UNM in Albuquerque, New Mexico and seem to
> want to
> discredit Dr. Nininger every chance he got. While he did contribute
> some
> to the understanding of meteorites he was no giant in the field and
>
> didn't contribute as much as Nininger was by any means.
>
> A lot
> of his fame is the Norton County Meteorite that he outbid Nininger on.
>
> Nininger was standing on top of the main mass of the Norton County
> Meteorite
> when LaPaz and another museum head came onto the site. My
> understanding that
> Nininger used some of LaPaz's information to
> triangulate the fall but it
> takes more than one set of observations for
> this.
>
> He help organize the Meteortic's Society with Nininger
> but later tried to
> get Dr. Nininger thrown out of the society. I believe
> that Nininger
> resigned. He did spend a great deal of time trying to make
> Nininger look
> bad. The two were obvious rivials but not in a healthy
> sense. Probably
> because Harvey Nininger was making his living finding
> and selling meteorites
> in order to fund his hunts and research. BTW
> Harvey made attempts to get the
> scientists and museums of that time to
> fund his program in order to add to
> their collections but no one thought
> it would work except Farrington.
> Farrington was older and had health
> problems but wished he could help in
> Nininger's pursuit.
>
>
> LaPaz was also a hypocrite who frowned on anyone collecting meteorites
> but
> after his death a sizeable collection was found in his basement, he
> was an
> obvious closet collector. While he didn't help Nininger out, I
> have always
> felt that he might have been one of Nininger's inspirations
> to keep going
> and not letting anyone get in his way. Same with no one
> wanting to give
> Nininger a grant or position at any of the main museums
> or scientific
> institutions of that time. It might have drove Nininger to
> work harder in
> order to get it done.
>
> --AL
> Mitterling
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shawn
> Alan" <> href="mailto:photophlow at yahoo.com">photophlow at yahoo.com>
> To:
> <>
> href="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>
> Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:26 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list]
> "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
>
>
> Hello Listers,
>
> Its
> been a crazy day in NYC today with the snow and slush but all has
> melted
>
> and I received a package in the mail today of a Norton County
> meteorite,
>
> weighing at 2.33g from Dr LaPaz collection. Within the package, I also
>
> received copies of news paper clippings From the Norton Daily
> Telegram,
>
> dated May 1, 1948 from the meteorite fall, and Dr LaPaz comes up in
> every
> article. In one of the clippings there is a photograph of him
> standing by
> the meteorite being lifted out of the ground. I haven't read
> anything about
> Dr LaPaz till a week ago and was wondering what
> significance had he had in
> the meteorite community? I also Wiki him and
> from what I saw on Wiki, Dr
> LaPaz was smart guy and got his PhD at a
> young age. Lastly, along with the
> meteorite specimens I also received a
> trinitite fragment weighing at 1.79g
> that he had collected from the
> Trinity project and was wondering if people
> on the list knew much about
> this stuff.
>
> Shawn Alan
>
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Received on Sat 27 Feb 2010 05:09:18 PM PST